The City-County Observer is excited to announce it’s new bi-weekly health and wellness column by Dr. Roy M. Arnold. Dr. Arnold is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease. Dr. Arnold also carries a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Chapman University in Orange, California. He has over 20 years of experience in Wellness and Preventative Medicine and also served 11 years in the United States Air Force where he receive specialty training in Aerospace medicine, tropical and occupational diseases, combat casualty care, as well as in advanced trauma care.

More recently Dr. Arnold has worked as Chief Medical Officer of many Health plans, which has kept him up to date in Internal Medicine and in every aspect of Preventative care. The doctor has been focused on getting his new concierge practice, 21st Century Healthcare, operational and is excited by the possibilities of the changing landscape that is American medicine. From 2009 to 2012 Dr. Arnold has been selected as one of America’s Top Physicians by the Consumers’ Research Council of America. Please help us give Dr. Arnold a warm welcome as he brings us up-to-date medical advice and news of medical discoveries and breakthroughs relevant to the well being of us all and be sure to keep an eye out every other week for new articles!

Obesity: Which Diet is the Best for You?

More than 60% of the adult US population is overweight and at least 36% of adults are obese. Obesity is associated with increased health risks such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancers, easily making obesity the number one health problem in the US. Annual medical costs for obesity in 2008 were estimated to be $148 Billion with annual costs of $1429 more than individuals of normal weight.

Achieving a healthy weight is not about following a fad diet or eating specially prepared foods. It involves a fundamental change in dietary habits and exercise frequency that balances nutritional intake and energy expenditure. No medication or dietary supplement can promise sustained weight loss without significant changes in caloric intake and exercise pattern.

Having said all of this, what has caused the obesity epidemic in the USA? The causes are multiple but can mainly be attributed to more sedentary lifestyle, increased consumption of processed foods high in carbohydrates and calories and increased portion size like 44oz sodas, supersized fries and double everything. We are incessantly bombarded with advertising for fast food, all-you-can eat buffets, free drink refills, two-for-one pizzas and never-ending breadsticks.
With the emphasis on prevention of heart disease, the public has been led to believe that low-fat equals healthy. This may not be necessarily so as many low-fat processed foods contain high levels of carbohydrates and sweeteners including high-fructose corn syrup.

It would be instructive at this point to explore how the body actually handles digestion and absorption of nutrients. The 3 major sources of dietary nutrition are carbohydrates, fat and protein.Carbohydrates such as sugar and starch are broken down in the intestine into simple sugars like glucose and absorbed directly into the bloodstream. The body senses this and releases insulin from the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone responsible for regulating the blood sugar content. It does this by promoting the conversion of glucose into fat which is stored in the body as “love handles” and “belly fat.” Carbohydrate consumption in the form of simple sugars found in sweets, baked goods and soft drinks, or more complex carbohydrates in wheat flour, cereal, potatoes and white rice is quickly absorbed and promotes fat deposition if it isn’t used for fueling muscular activity. A common misconception is that high fat consumption makes one fat, when in fact it is more likely the carbohydrates that promote body fat accumulation.

Dietary fat is a rich source of calories and fats from animal sources can contribute to elevated blood fat concentrations which in turn can promote heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Nutritionists suggest that most of the dietary fat consumption should come from either plants (nuts, olive oil and avocados) or from poultry and fish. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish can be particularly beneficial in preventing cardiovascular events.

Proteins are long chains of smaller building blocks call amino acids. The body must completely break down proteins into individual amino acids in order to absorb them. This fact completely negates the claims of certain foods that they contain, “fat-burning enzymes” that will promote rapid weight loss. While there may be enzymes in the food, they are completely destroyed before they are absorbed into the bloodstream. Once absorbed, the amino acids are used to build different proteins such as muscle, enzymes and immune proteins.

Because of the preponderance of carbohydrates in the American diet, energy expenditure doesn’t use all of them for fuel and obesity results. The solution? Eat less and move around more. Beyond that, what you eat makes a world of difference. We need to make a fundamental and permanent shift in our diet to more vegetables and fruit, more fiber and fewer carbohydrates. There are two different dietary regimens that are effective and are gaining in popularity: The Mediterranean diet and The Paleo diet.

People who live around the Mediterranean region tend to live longer and have a lower prevalence of heart disease and stroke. Their diet is high in fiber, emphasizes fruit and vegetables, and relies mainly on fish and poultry for protein. Most of the fats consumed are from plant origin – olives and olive oil, avocados and nuts. What carbohydrates are consumed are whole grains and high in fiber. A good website to learn more is http://advancedmediterraneandiet.com.

The Paleo diet operates on the principal that while humans have developed agriculture and livestock farming in the last 10,000 years, our metabolism hasn’t changed from that time when humans lived as hunters and gatherers. This diet places strong emphasis on avoiding grains like rice, corn and wheat products, and dairy. There is heavy emphasis on protein and fat intake and upon fresh vegetables and fruits that are high in fiber. This diet restricts carbohydrates significantly and may result in faster weight loss. A good website for learning more is http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet.

Whichever diet you choose, increasing you amount of exercise is also important. Try to exercise aerobically 150 minutes per week either through running, brisk walking, bicycling, swimming, treadmill or elliptical. Strength training and core training are also very important. Strength training improves upper body strength through weight lifting, resistance bands or pushups. Core training strengthens the abdominal muscles using situps, crunches, planks or yoga.

In all situations, please seek the advice of your primary healthcare provider before embarking on a diet or exercise regimen to determine the right plan for you. Start slowly and increase your exercise as you can tolerate. Good luck and stay healthy!

Bills becoming laws

Have you ever had a project that you poured your heart and soul into? Maybe it was garden work, building a barn or a contest entry for your favorite hobby. You spend hours planning, researching and creating the best possible outcome. Each year, the part-time legislative body meets for session. Since session spans only three to four months (depending on the year), I have similar feelings in regards to the months of preparation put into meeting with members of the community, working on policy initiatives and finally drafting legislative proposals as a means to better Indiana.

I am excited to say that last week some of the bills I authored and co-authored for the 2013 legislative session were signed into law by the governor: House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1130 and HEA 1359.

HEA 1130 provides that an individual who is gravely disabled, in addition to having a mental illness and being in immediate need of hospitalization, may be detained by a law enforcement officer and transported to the nearest appropriate facility.

Currently, people who are gravely disabled are not included in the immediate detention statute (commonly referred to as the 24 hour detention), which makes situations more difficult for law enforcement officers to handle .The primary purpose of this type of detention is to permit law enforcement officials or emergency medical personnel to take an individual who is experiencing a mental health crisis into custody for transportation to a local health care or psychiatric facility for assessment and emergency treatment.

This legislation is important for public safety, especially as more people are being diagnosed with mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s or dementia. I want to make sure that the proper precautions are taken with individuals who have mental illnesses.

Secondly, I co-authored HEA 1359 with three other state representatives. The legislation addresses age-restricted housing programs and passed with bipartisan support in both chambers. This bill allows a redevelopment commission to establish a program for age-restricted housing.

This piece of legislation came from the desire by local governments to make their communities welcoming to senior citizens. By creating the option for residential housing TIF (tax increment financing) districts, communities will have another option to redevelop and sell housing that may otherwise not be considered.

This will benefit the baby boomer generation particularly by providing housing incentives that are specific to their demographic, if they choose to downsize their homes. This will have a positive impact on abandoned houses or places in need of rehabilitation and provides incentives to redevelop unsightly areas.

HEA 1130 will go into effect on July 1, and HEA 1359 will become effective on May 15 of this year. I will continue to work tirelessly on the other issues that I have proposed before the General Assembly as a way to improve Hoosier communities.

As always, feel free to connect with me on my website at www.in.gov/h75 or by phone at 317-232-9674. I look forward to continuing to support legislation that positively impacts Hoosiers in our state.

Tilly – Tilly is a very social Australian cattle dog with LOTS of energy. She responds well to correction and is food motivated which is helping as we perfect her manners here at the VHS. Since she’s a young, active girl, it’s important that she gets regular exercise. She also loves attention, so she’ll want to be included in your life and activities. Her first birthday is coming up this month – will her new forever family come fall in love with her in time to celebrate it? Her adoption fee is $100, which includes her spay, age-appropriate vaccines, nationally-registered microchip, and a bag of food.

www.vhslifesaver.org

On March 22, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children awarded Indiana State Police Detective Chris Cecil with a Certificate of Honorable Mention for his crucial role in the investigation that resulted in the arrest and conviction of Jonathan Martin, 28, of Vincennes. Detective Cecil is assigned to the Crimes Against Children unit and a member of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

On January 20, 2011, Indiana State Police Detective Chris Cecil initiated an investigation concerning child exploitation after receiving information Martin allegedly posted an advertisement on Craigslist wanting young girls for sex. During the investigation, Detective Cecil developed information showing Martin was involved in numerous online activities pertaining to child exploitation.

On March 7, 2011, Detective Cecil, along with members of the Indiana State Police Crimes Against Children and Cyber Crime Units, and Indiana ICAC Task Force executed a search warrant at Martin’s residence located at 1411 Prairie Street in Vincennes and discovered more than 20,000 images and videos depicting child pornography that Martin had been sharing via email clients and peer-to-peer file sharing. Martin was storing child pornography in his email account and in a cloud-based storage server in Russia.

“Detective Cecil’s expertise, creativity and perseverance resulted in the identification, conviction and sentencing of a serial contact offender against children,” said Lt. Chuck Cohen, Cyber Crime and Criminal Intelligence Section Commander for the Indiana State Police.

On February 29, 2012, Martin was sentenced in federal court to 18 years of imprisonment followed by lifetime supervised release. Martin was also sentenced on November 1, 2012, to 25 years of imprisonment after pleading guilty to two counts of Class A felony child molesting in Elkhart County, Indiana. The state judge imposed an additional credit felony restriction on Martin, meaning he will be required to serve 83% of his sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction rather than the normally required 50%. The federal and state sentences will run consecutively, with Martin beginning his state term of imprisonment when he is released from federal custody in no less than 15 years and 4 month. His total term of imprisonment will be in excess of 36 years. Jonathan Martin, who was 28 at the time Cecil arrested him, will be in custody until he is at least 64 years old.

Detective Cecil is an eight year veteran of the Indiana State Police and has been a detective in the Crimes Against Children Unit since August 2010.

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller recently helped launch a legal toolkit to assist state attorneys general in cracking down on those who prey upon military service members.

Zoeller worked with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Consumer Protection Working Group of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force and attorneys general from Kentucky, Illinois and North Carolina to develop the toolkit. The kit outlines issues impacting the military community and how states’ consumer protection officials can effectively combat these types of financial predators and scammers.

“Scammers and illegitimate businesses often target service members and their families because of their steady paychecks and deployments,” Zoeller said. “Issues impacting our military include topics ranging from predatory mortgage lending to auto financing and from GI Bill related scams to identity theft. It’s important that state and federal officials use the resources available to crack down on those who prey on individuals serving our country.”

The toolkit is intended to serve as a guide for relevant statutes and regulations, as well as a platform to discuss best practices and developing trends. Zoeller said his colleagues in offices of state attorneys general nationwide will be better equipped to navigate the diverse issues and complex laws concerning the military community.

“I want to thank Attorney General Zoeller for his efforts to protect our service members from financial predators who attempt to take advantage of those serving our country,” said Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard. “I also want to encourage every soldier and airman to look closely at the resources available to protect themselves and their families, so they understand situational awareness in the world of finance can be just as important as it is on the battlefield.”

Zoeller said there are some important resources available to those in the military to help prevent financial harm including:

· Active-Duty Alerts: These alerts can be placed on a service member’s credit report to inform a business it is obtaining information from an individual away on active duty. The alert requires the business to first obtain permission from an authorized third party like a family member or friend before proceeding.

· Caps on interest bearing debt: Those on active duty may cap the interest rate on most outstanding loans at 6 percent under the provisions of the Service members Civil Relief Act. To have your interest rate reduced to 6 percent, you must write a letter to each creditor letting them know about your orders and your intent to invoke the 6 percent cap.

· Vehicle and property lease terminations: Deployed military members are able to legally terminate some vehicle and property leases. If you are currently leasing a vehicle or home/apartment and wish to terminate your lease, contact the leaseholder and inform them of your deployment.

· Foreclosure and eviction relief: Under the Service member Civil Relief Act and the National Mortgage Settlement, service members are granted special relief when facing foreclosure. For example, a person may be able to obtain a “stay” or temporarily delay in a foreclosure or other civil court proceeding if he or she is called up to active duty. In addition, service members have special eligibility for loss mitigation relief such as a modification of their loan or a short sale. Similarly, service members and their families who rent their home may obtain a temporary stay of eviction proceedings while the service member is on active duty.

Military service members can visit www.IndianaConsumer.com/military/ to learn more about resources available to them.